To support consumer demand for multimedia rich applications and services, wireless network vendors and providers have adopted High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) technologies to increase downlink (and, in some cases, uplink) data rates in the latest mobile networks. For example, the High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) channel has been adopted by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) for use in implementing Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) mobile networks based on Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) technology. The HSDPA channel is a shared common “fat pipe” channel capable of supporting a peak data rate of up to 14.4 Mbps.
In a given cell, the HSDPA channel is divided into a plurality of timeslots and is implemented using some of the available transmission power and WCDMA channel codes. The channel codes and time slots comprising the HSDPA channel are treated as shared resources to be dynamically allocated to user devices in both the code and time domains, respectively. In a typical UMTS WCDMA mobile network, the shared resources of the HSDPA channel are allocated in a best-effort manner without any application awareness and/or service guarantees. Additionally, simultaneous requests from multiple user devices for allocation of the HSDPA channel's shared resources are typically handled on a first-come-first-served basis regardless of the applications and/or services to be provided to any particular requesting user device.